Quantitative Analysis of Ginsenosides Using Relative Response Factors from Ginsenoside Rf

Purpose: To establish a simple and accurate quantitative method for analyzing ginsenosides, a functional material used in the cosmetics industry, the relative response factors of the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) signals of each ginsenoside were analyzed and compared to the ginsenoside Rf. Methods: The relative response factor for the simultaneous analysis of 11 species of ginsenosides, including ginsenoside Rf, was determined, and their quantitative validity was examined. The concentrations of ginsenosides contained in samples of red ginseng were derived by an external standard method from the calibration curve of a standard solution prepared from the 11 species of ginsenosides. The relative response factors were calculated from the concentrations of ginsenosides in the 58 red ginseng samples. Results: The relative response factors (k i/Rf ) of each ginsenoside relative to ginsenoside Rf, which is thermally stable and considered valid as a reference for relative response, are as follows: Rg1 (1.07), Re (1.26), Rh1 (0.83), Rg2 (1.50), Rb1 (1.51), Rc (1.51), Rb2 (1.45), Rd (1.22), Rg3 (S; 1.02), and Rg3 (R; 0.95). In addition, the concentration of each ginsenoside converted by their relative response factor (k i/Rf ) was quantitatively consistent with the concentration analyzed by the external standard method. Conclusion: Using quantitatively wellcontrolled ginsenoside Rf as a standard, we analyzed the ginsenoside contents of 11 kinds of ginsenosides samples. The exact contents of ginsenoside Rf in ginseng samples were determined by an external standard method. The concentrations of the 10 ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rg2, Rh1, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rd, Rg3 (S), and Rg3 (R) were determined by converting their relative response factors (k i/Rf ).